California Biographies
Source: History of Fresno County, California, with biographical sketches of
the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with
its growth and development from the early days to the present (1919)
History By Paul E. Vandor
Illustrated, Complete In Two Volumes
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1919
Notes: Missing+page1185-1186
Transcribed by Peggy Hooper
This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm
CONRAD KINZEL. � An energetic American by adoption who has made
a success by hard work and perseverance, that he is today a man of affairs,
is Conrad Kinzel, who first came to Fresno in the late nineties. He was born
in Priwalnoe, Samara, Russia, on February 5, 1870, the son of George Henry
Kinzel, a farmer there, who married Catherine Leisle. The mother died, but
the father is still living, seventy-two years of age.
There were twelve children in the family, and ten are living, while two
are in the United States. One of these, a brother named Phillip, is in partner-
ship with our subject. Conrad was brought up on a farm and attended the
public schools ; and he was fortunate in learning both the German and Rus-
sian languages.
He served five years in the Russian army as a member of the cavalry,
being stationed near Warsaw on the German frontier; and jn time he was
honorably discharged. For two years he continued to work on his father's
farm, and then he concluded to come to the United States. He was fortunate
in the information given him about California, and was lucky in selecting
Fresno as his future home.
On November 22, 1898, he arrived here, and he was employed on ranches
for seven years. Having saved some money, he started in the grocery and
meat business, on South F Street, one block south of his present store ; and
he there took into partnership Jacob P. Christian. They each had a capital
of $500; but at the end of the year he sold out. Then he worked for a year
at farming and for another year was in the employ of August Steitz on F
Street. He was next in the employ of H. B. Bier in his store on F Street, for
nearly three years, and then he bought out Henry Rudolph, of Steitz & Ru-
dolph, for $2,000, and continued in business as Steitz & Company. He bought
a half interest in the store and building and they continued together for
nine years.
On January 27, 1919, Mr. Kinzel bought out Mr. Steitz's interest and
took in his brother Phillip as a partner, the firm becoming Kinzel Brothers;
and now they have a large modern store filled with choice general merchan-
dise. It is located at the corner of California and Kirk avenues, and there
is also a warehouse with a floor space of 30 x 125 feet. Mr. Kinzel is a Re-
publican in politics, but too good an American not to see the merit in politi-
cal propositions often advanced by the opposite parties.
He was married at his old home to Miss Catherina Bier, a native of Sa-
mara, and the daughter of George Conrad Bier. The Kinzels are members
of the Free Evangelical Lutheran Cross Church and he is a member of the
Eagle Lodge.